Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a water heater and particularly to a water heater of a latent heat recovery type capable of heating water by recovering latent heat of combustion gas.
Description of the Background Art
In replacement of an already placed tank water heater with an instantaneous water heater, there are locations where an already placed exhaust pipe (a B vent) cannot be removed from a point of view of maintaining appearance of buildings.
At such a location, a water heater can be replaced by leaving the already placed exhaust pipe and inserting an exhaust tube (a flexible exhaust tube) in the exhaust pipe. The exhaust tube should be smaller in diameter, because the exhaust tube cannot be placed in the exhaust pipe if the exhaust tube has a large outer diameter. In order to maintain a stable combustion state even when the exhaust tube is decreased in diameter, an exhaust suction and combustion system should be adopted for a water heater.
A water heater adapted to this exhaust suction and combustion system is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 60-186617. In the water heater described in this publication, a heat exchanger for recovering sensible heat, a heat exchanger for recovering latent heat, and a fan are arranged in this order on a downstream side in a flow of combustion gas produced in a burner. Namely, in the water heater of this type, the fan is arranged downstream of the heat exchanger for recovering latent heat in the flow of combustion gas.
Since the fan is arranged downstream of the heat exchanger for recovering latent heat in the water heater adapted to the exhaust suction and combustion system, air (outside air) is taken in from the outside of the water heater through a discharge pipe for discharging drainage water. A direction of flow of air in this discharge pipe is reverse to a direction of discharge of drainage water through the discharge pipe. Therefore, disadvantageously, drainage water is less dischargeable through the discharge pipe to the outside of the water heater but is likely to stay in the heat exchanger for recovering latent heat.
Even though a water-seal structure capable of cutting off intake of outside air owing to drainage water being stored is adopted in a drainage water discharge path such as the discharge pipe above, air is taken in from the outside of the water heater through the discharge pipe during a period until water-seal is completed by drainage water being stored. A disadvantage the same as above is thus caused.
In addition, if a bypass is provided in a discharge path in order to decrease a flow rate of air which flows into a heat exchanger during a period until water-seal is completed, drainage water may flow into the bypass from the heat exchanger. Drainage water which has flowed into the bypass may flow into the heat exchanger again or flow to an undesirable position through the bypass.